I just wanted to share a quick life update, and provide a warning that there might be a bit less content than usual later this week (but hopefully not?)…
I finally decided to get LASIK eye surgery
Like many people, I don’t have great vision. I’ve never worn contacts — for some reason, it just seems like a lot of effort, and having something directly on my eyes creeps me out (which is entirely irrational, given that my solution to this problem is much more drastic). 😉
Currently I wear glasses when I drive and when I actually want to see something at a distance, while I don’t wear glasses during most of my day-to-day activities, including while working on my computer.
Honestly, what makes me kind of sad about my vision is that:
- I’ve gotten really bad at navigating airports and reading airport signage, especially in situations where I prefer to wear a mask, since I can’t seem to comfortably wear glasses and a mask without constantly adjusting them
- I love people watching, and it’s kind of hard to people watch if you can’t see well!
- For situations where I’m watching TV with subtitles, it’s a real struggle to read and keep up without glasses
Fortunately for many people with poor vision, there’s an easy solution — LASIK. I had known about it for years, but always put it off. I’m sometimes really bad at taking care of myself, and this is one of those situations. Several weeks ago, I decided it was time to finally look into it more. So I scheduled a consultation, and now have my “surgery” scheduled for this Thursday, December 14, 2023.
I put the word “surgery” in quotes since it seems like this is about as minor as any sort of procedure can get. I’m typically kind of a baby when it comes to anything medical (probably another reason I’ve been putting this off), but it’s finally time to rip the band-aid off.
What should I expect in terms of LASIK recovery time?
I know I’m hardly the first person to get LASIK, so if any OMAAT readers have had this procedure, I’d love some data points as to how fast you’ve been able to return to work, and/or being in front of a computer screen for many hours per day.
I’m getting my LASIK procedure on Thursday afternoon, so I assume I’ll be useless that afternoon (both in terms of my vision, and in terms of being out of it due to the meds that they give you). I’ve seen references to mostly being able to return to normal life the following day, though does that match the experience most people have had, especially for those who work in front of a computer?
I know it can sometimes take many days or even weeks until the full impact of the procedure is felt in terms of night vision, light sensitivity, etc., but I’m just hoping I won’t have full-on blurry vision for too long.
Bottom line
After many years of not-great vision, I’m finally getting LASIK this week, which I’m excited about. I’m hoping I’m going to be able to see the world in a whole new light.
I just wanted to provide a heads up on this, as it’s happening on Thursday afternoon, so that might impact my ability to blog for a bit. But I’d also love some thoughts as to how long I should expect to not be able to stare at a computer screen for much of the day.
Any OMAAT readers have experience with LASIK?
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